St. Deroin, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
St. Deroin is a ghost town
in Nemaha County
, originally located below the river bluffs on the Missouri River. Formally chartered in 1854, the town had a popular ferry crossing over the Missouri River
for more than three decades. The river changed course, ending the ferry. After a railroad spur bypassed the town, it drew off more commerce. The community rebuilt its school on the river bluff when it was threatened by flooding; this area was also used for the cemetery. The town was completely abandoned by 1920, as flooding had destroyed much of the townsite. The site is at the northern edge of Indian Cave State Park
.
, the town grew up around a trading post and was named in 1853 after Joseph Deroin (1819-1858), the trader. Deroin was the son of a Métis
French Canadian
trapper Amable De Rouins and his Otoe
wife. The elder De Rouins had traded along the nearby Missouri River for decades, and a trading post was already operating near the townsite when Lewis and Clark came through with their expedition in 1804.
In 1840, Joseph Deroin set up a trading post along the river's edge at the mouth of the Platte River
, at the main village of the Otoe. He married Meek-Ka-Ahu-me, an Omaha
woman, and they had a daughter Mary. In 1842, Deroin also married the two Métis sisters, Julia and Susée Baskette, who were daughters of an Otoe woman; together he had a total of eight children with them. Joseph and his brother John Deroin each received allotments of land at the Nemaha Reservation, which was established in 1830. Joseph's daughter Mary and his third wife, Susée Baskette Deroin, also were recorded as having allotments there. Joseph was killed in 1858 by a white settler (husband of a Métis wife) in a dispute over money owed.
Increasingly, white settlers were moving into Otoe and Omaha land, as well as the Nemaha Reservation, and displacing Native residents. They laid out a townsite below the river bluffs in 1856. Although the Native Americans appealed to the US government to remove the interlopers, they were unsuccessful. European American settlers moved in around Deroin's trading post and named the town St. Deroin, hoping to link it to the downriver cities of St. Joseph and St. Louis. From 1854, a ferry service brought passengers from Iowa across the Missouri.
. In 1912 when the river was rapidly swallowing the town site, the school building was dismantled and reassembled on the higher ground of the river bluffs. Other buildings in town included a hotel and two blacksmith shops.
In the 1870s, at probably its economic peak, the town had nearly 200 residents and 20 businesses. By 1880, its population had dropped to about 90, and spring floods washed away some buildings on the floodplain. Steamboats became infrequent and, with construction of a railroad spur between Nemaha
and Shubert, Nebraska
that bypassed St. Deroin, its economic life dried up.
After thirty years of ferries at St. Deroin, the Missouri River changed course and made ferrying impossible. The service was moved to Brownville
in 1915.
, approximately four miles northeast of Barada
in the U.S. state
of Nebraska
.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Nemaha County
Nemaha County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,576 people, 3,047 households, and 1,980 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile . There were 3,439 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, originally located below the river bluffs on the Missouri River. Formally chartered in 1854, the town had a popular ferry crossing over the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
for more than three decades. The river changed course, ending the ferry. After a railroad spur bypassed the town, it drew off more commerce. The community rebuilt its school on the river bluff when it was threatened by flooding; this area was also used for the cemetery. The town was completely abandoned by 1920, as flooding had destroyed much of the townsite. The site is at the northern edge of Indian Cave State Park
Indian Cave State Park
Indian Cave State Park is a state park of Nebraska, USA, preserving a cave with prehistoric petroglyphs and the partially reconstructed village of St. Deroin established in 1853. The park is along the Missouri River on the county line between Nemaha and Richardson counties...
.
History
Founded by "half-breeds" to serve the Nemaha Half-Breed ReservationNemaha Half-Breed Reservation
The Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation was established by the Treaty of Prairie du Chien of 1830, which set aside a tract of land for the mixed-race, or Métis descendants of French-Canadian trappers and women of the Oto, Iowa, and Omaha, as well as the Yankton and Santee Sioux tribes...
, the town grew up around a trading post and was named in 1853 after Joseph Deroin (1819-1858), the trader. Deroin was the son of a Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
trapper Amable De Rouins and his Otoe
Oto
Oto may refer to:*The Otoe tribe , a Native American people*The Oto Reservation was located in southeastern Nebraska*Oto, Iowa, a city in the United States*Ōtō, Fukuoka, a town in Japan...
wife. The elder De Rouins had traded along the nearby Missouri River for decades, and a trading post was already operating near the townsite when Lewis and Clark came through with their expedition in 1804.
In 1840, Joseph Deroin set up a trading post along the river's edge at the mouth of the Platte River
Platte River
The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...
, at the main village of the Otoe. He married Meek-Ka-Ahu-me, an Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
woman, and they had a daughter Mary. In 1842, Deroin also married the two Métis sisters, Julia and Susée Baskette, who were daughters of an Otoe woman; together he had a total of eight children with them. Joseph and his brother John Deroin each received allotments of land at the Nemaha Reservation, which was established in 1830. Joseph's daughter Mary and his third wife, Susée Baskette Deroin, also were recorded as having allotments there. Joseph was killed in 1858 by a white settler (husband of a Métis wife) in a dispute over money owed.
Increasingly, white settlers were moving into Otoe and Omaha land, as well as the Nemaha Reservation, and displacing Native residents. They laid out a townsite below the river bluffs in 1856. Although the Native Americans appealed to the US government to remove the interlopers, they were unsuccessful. European American settlers moved in around Deroin's trading post and named the town St. Deroin, hoping to link it to the downriver cities of St. Joseph and St. Louis. From 1854, a ferry service brought passengers from Iowa across the Missouri.
Buildings
In addition to the early trading post and ferry service, a U.S. Post Office operated in the town from 1861 to 1910. The town had a subscription school that was started in 1858. Residents built a brick schoolhouse in 1868, when river commerce revived after the end of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In 1912 when the river was rapidly swallowing the town site, the school building was dismantled and reassembled on the higher ground of the river bluffs. Other buildings in town included a hotel and two blacksmith shops.
In the 1870s, at probably its economic peak, the town had nearly 200 residents and 20 businesses. By 1880, its population had dropped to about 90, and spring floods washed away some buildings on the floodplain. Steamboats became infrequent and, with construction of a railroad spur between Nemaha
Nemaha, Nebraska
Nemaha is a village in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 178 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Nemaha is located at ....
and Shubert, Nebraska
Shubert, Nebraska
Shubert is a village in Richardson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 252 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shubert is located at ....
that bypassed St. Deroin, its economic life dried up.
After thirty years of ferries at St. Deroin, the Missouri River changed course and made ferrying impossible. The service was moved to Brownville
Brownville, Nebraska
Brownville is a village in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 146 at the 2000 census.- History :Established in 1854 and incorporated in 1856, Brownville was the largest town in the Nebraska Territory, with a population of 1,309 by 1880. Bordering slave-holding Missouri, the...
in 1915.
Floods
Since the 1840s, most of the town below the river bluff has been washed away by floods. Today only the cemetery and the St. Deroin School sit on the bluffs above the original location. The town was completely abandoned by 1920.Location
St. Deroin was located on the Missouri River near the southeast corner of Nemaha County. It is located within the northern border of Indian Cave State ParkIndian Cave State Park
Indian Cave State Park is a state park of Nebraska, USA, preserving a cave with prehistoric petroglyphs and the partially reconstructed village of St. Deroin established in 1853. The park is along the Missouri River on the county line between Nemaha and Richardson counties...
, approximately four miles northeast of Barada
Barada, Nebraska
Barada is a village in Richardson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 28 at the 2000 census. The village was named in honor of folk hero Antonine Barada, and was located within the former Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation.-Geography:...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
.
External links
- "Joseph DeRoin", photo and bio, compiled by Lawrence Barkwell, Louis Riel Institute